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Transit Cycles, Arizona: Bike Art and Bikepacking
7 Mar 15 Cass Gilbert / cultureWe call in at Transit Cycles to talk to owner Duncan Benning about all things cycling in Tucson, Arizona: bikes, bottle art, great places to ride, and building a bikepacking community…
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497 mi. / 800 km10 days
The SoCal Desert Ramble, Southern California
163 Mar 10 Cass Gilbert USAFor those seeking desert solitude tinged with a touch of the bizarre, we present the SoCal Desert Ramble. Prepare to immerse yourself amongst desert blooms and starry nights, slither your way along sandy washes, linger in counter-culture hangouts, ponder salty, decayed holiday resorts gone wrong, and marvel at the Dr. Seussian splendour of the gangly, anthropomorphic Joshua Tree… -
Tout Terrain Outback Review: Vorsprung Durch Technik
42 Mar 7 Cass Gilbert / bikesWell established within the world of traditional touring, Tout Terrain’s first foray into the bikepacking realm comes by way of the 27.5+ Outback. Like other products in this German company’s extensive range of steel bikes, the Outback is a modern hardtail that embraces the technological marvels of an internal drivetrain, in the form of the Pinion C1.12. We take one to France’s Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to find out what it’s about…
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Bailey Newbrey and His Salsa Woodsmoke
17 Feb 13 Cass Gilbert / bikesIn our latest Rider and Rig, we chat with singlespeed Tour Divide crusher Bailey Newbrey, and get the lowdown on his recent headfirst dive into ultra racing, how he packs his 35lb race setup, and his plans to set up a new bike shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico…
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Camp Local: Building a Bikepacking Community
51 Feb 6 Cass Gilbert / plogNo matter how close to home it may be, a local campout brings a disproportionate amount of high vibes to your week and helps build a local bikepacking community. Cass heads out with eight friends for a quick winter campout and returns home feeling especially happy with the world, along with hints and tips to share…
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Rider and Rig: Monique and her Soma Wolverine
37 Jan 24 Cass Gilbert / bikesIn this Rider and Rig, we catch up with Tucson’s Monique Laraway, bike mechanic, artist, and bikepacking enthusiast, to talk local desert campouts, getting more WTF on bikes, and why she loves her jet black Soma Wolverine. Plus, Mo gives us the lowdown on her Sonoran Desert overnight packlist…
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Ground Effect Helter Skelters Review: 3/4 Length Rain Pants
31 Jan 18 Cass Gilbert / apparelExpecting inclement weather on your next bikepacking trip? Think full-length waterproof pants are overkill? Cass suggests taking a pair of Ground Effect’s minimal, three-quarter length Helter Skelters for a whirl…
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Tout Terrain Streamliner Review: the tagalong of tagalongs
15 Jan 9 Cass Gilbert / accessoriesIn the world of family cycling, there are tagalongs… and there are tagalongs. A far cry from the cheap lookalikes unearthed on Craigslist, Tout Terrain’s Streamliner is a super high end, suspended trailer bike complete with a 160mm air shock, a 1×9 SRAM drivetrain, a light tubeset, and a whole list of quality components. Cass Gilbert takes one bikepacking with his family and finds out if it’s money well spent…
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El Silencio: The Film, the Bikes, and the Backstory
53 Dec 6 Cass Gilbert / videoEl Silencio: Cycling the Peru Divide tells the story of a group of riders and their journey across the mountainous heart of Peru’s Central Cordillera, a region noted for its remoteness… and its quietness. We chat to filmmaker Jay Ritchey about the challenges of making the film and the gear he used, and take a look at the Tumbleweed expedition bikes built up for the trip.
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Mike Howarth and His Singular Rooster
9 Nov 14 Cass Gilbert / bikesUp in the rolling landscapes of France’s magnificent Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, we chat with Yorkshireman Mike Howarth about all things bikepacking: big trips, small trips, fat bikes, thin bikes, n+1, his take on the Great British Bivvy, and his Singular Rooster…
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Brother Cycles Big Bro Review: Old Meets New
30 Nov 7 Cass Gilbert / bikesEven in a world of long and slack full-suspension rigs, the humble, fully rigid MTB still has a place, especially when it comes in a plus-tyred flavour. We took the Brother Cycles Big Bro up and down the steep inclines of Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck. Here’s how it fared…
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30% discount on Brother Cycles’ Big Bro!
0 Oct 29 Cass Gilbert / newsHave you always wanted a Big Bro? Brother Cycles’ do-it-all, 27+ complete bikes and framesets are currently being offered with a very generous 30% discount…